Workers' rights for the new century

Stephen Frost et al, Asia Monitor Resource Center, 396 pages, £20.

This book provides a comprehensive review of labour law in the Asia-Pacific region.

It highlights how anti-union laws make hiring and firing easier, escalate the trend towards casual work and undermine trade union power.

The book shows how many laws discriminate against migrants and that safety regulations are generally meagre or poorly enforced.

The editors conclude that whether it is through wilful disregard for workers' rights or the inability to implement them, existing laws across Asia do not protect workers.